Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Traveling Costa Rica by bus can be a GREAT option, especially if you're traveling on a budget... and double especially if time isn't of the essence. That said, there's a few things you should know about the bus system here.

Below: VIDEO- 'Riding the buses in Costa Rica' and also the bus schedules to popular destinations in Costa Rica. All buses depart from the San Jose area.

Buses are reliable and pretty much travel anywhere you would want to go in Costa Rica. Reliability would usually only be a problem if their were traffic jams, bad road conditions or maintenance issues and obviously, those things could happen, but again, for the most part, the bus system is reliable. Costa Rica does NOT have 'chicken buses',....just sayin. Some 'Express' buses are nicer and don't stop before reaching their destination (like many of the ones leaving from San Jose to Limon ) but usually you'll be riding the 'local' buses, which tend to be older and seem to stop about every 100 yards or so, making the travel time much longer than it would be by 'car'.

This painted on the back of a bus, "Can you tell Costa Rica is steeped in the Catholic Religion?"

You'll need colones and small change to ride the local buses, don't expect them to take your $20. bill. Some tickets you buy at the ticket booth while others are purchased from the driver as you board the bus. It's good to do your homework in advance so you know what to expect. It's a bit daunting to be carrying backpacks and luggage around a bus station while trying to figure things out.

Some bus stations are more 'user friendly' than others. The bus station in San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada) SUCKS! but others like Limon, San Ramon are nice. Don't forget, there's MANY bus stations in San Jose and the one you'll use will depend on where you're going. For instance, visiting our 'neck of the woods' in La Fortuna, you'll need to tell the taxi driver, "La parada de San Carlos por favor".

Here's our VIDEO about Riding the buses in Costa Rica:

We did this VIDEO a while back about 'Theft on the Buses'. Make sure to CHECK it OUT if you'll be using the bus system in Costa Rica:

The following are bus schedules to popular destinations in Costa Rica. All buses depart from the San Jose area. And go to our page about Getting around Costa Rica, complete with links, bus schedules and booking packages and MORE.

Note: Bus schedules may change and fares are approximate based on the exchange rate and fares at the time of the update. Always contact or pre-visit the bus terminal for most recent schedules and fees. Advance ticket purchases are also recommended.

BRAULIO CARRILLO PARK / GUAPILES: $1.85; every hour 5:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.; weekends last departure at 9:00p.m.; 45 minutes; get off at the Quebrada Gonzalez Station or theZurqui Station; wait on highway for return bus. Departs from the intersection of Calle 12 and Avenidas 7/9. 2222-0610.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Thinking about moving or retiring to Costa Rica? Then CHECK -OUT the following VIDEOS of our MOVE to Costa Rica.

Hey EVERYONE! I get a lot of emails asking how me and D'Angelo ever found our WAY to La Fortuna Costa Rica. So I'm going to tell you. And now I have ALL 3 videos in ONE place....Whoo hoo!

Ours is a STORY of deception, shady land dealings, sketchy business practices and a CAST of characters who should have their own REALITY SHOW. But the 'sketchiness' of it ALL is not really the point, the point is we want to share our experiences so YOU can learn from our MISTAKES, so many mistakes in fact, a 'Comedy of Errors' would be a vast understatement if our MOVE to Costa Rica were made into a broadway show... funny-stupid, BUT unfortunately for us, TRUE. *We've learned a LOT in the last 6 years, which is partly the reason we started our websites and blogs, to pass along our experiences, living, traveling and doing business in Costa Rica, to YOU.

So, here's Part 1 of how D'Angelo and myself came in contact with Gene Conti, 'the peddler of Paradise', and decided to pack it ALL up and make the move to La Fortuna Costa Rica.

Hey GUYS! This is the second part of 'Moving to Costa Rica- My STORY'. In this video I'll tell you the MANY mistakes we made when D'Angelo and myself decided to make the move to Costa Rica and give it a GO.

Gene Conti, owner of Palo Verde Resort didn't have to work very hard on selling us on La Fortuna Costa Rica- we were ALREADY impressed.

And if you're even THINKING about moving or doing business in Costa Rica, well, then you don't want to miss this VIDEO, because it just might save you from some BIG TIME, potential headaches. Just because we learned EVERYTHING the hard way, doesn't mean we want you to do the same.

I have to admit, it's HARD to tell our story without coming across as the victims (we're definitely NOT), or perhaps complaining, or having 'sour grapes', and I can assure you, that is NOT our intent. We're merely trying to INFORM. BUT, this is our story based on OUR experiences with certain people, such as Gene Conti, but I encourage you to do your own homework, draw your own conclusions and form your own opinions, I don't ask that you believe or dis-believe anything I say.

*If you're INTERESTED in following our on-going fight with the owners of Arenal Bungalows and Palo Verde Resort, then visit my other blog: Arenal Bungalows

K, here's part 2 of 'Moving to Costa Rica- My STORY':

And not the FINAL CHAPTER of OUR MOVE to Costa Rica:

Hey EVERYONE, here's the 3rd part to our STORY on making the move to Costa Rica. So, we were down here 3-4 months and things didn't work OUT.....now what do we do? Go back to the States? Try and find something to get into, WHAT?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Costa Rica provides education to every child.... but financial resources are spread thin, so the responsibility of providing even the most basic of school needs, such as toilet paper and soap, are placed squarely on the shoulders of the parents.

* Many are too poor to contribute ANYTHING *

I've written many times about how Costa Rica likes to market 'perception', and really, few countries do it better than this one. Ask someone their thoughts on Costa Rica and the following words and phrases will automatically be linked to the, 'Switzerland of Latin America': happy, eco-friendly, carbon neutral, GREEN, simple life, Blue Zone, organic, self-sustainable, pura vida, paradise......I'm sure you get the picture.

Basic School supplies are often nonexistent, scarce or just plain out-dated and worn.

Back to education. Costa Rica LOVES to brag about their 'literacy' rate, which IS one of the highest in Latin America, second only to Cuba. But they hammer this statistic so much, because it's all about perception, to the outside world it would appear Costa Rica has a pretty good public educational system- this is NOT TRUE. And personally, if they were a little more forthright about their situation, I think they would receive MUCH more outside help as many people would gladly send slightly used books, educational toys and/or other cheap materials like paper and pencils.

Here's our NEW VIDEO about Public Schools in Costa Rica and what a few people can do to EFFECT CHANGE: